With the rise of Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases every day across the globe and the general stores running out of essentials like hand sanitizers, we must keep ourselves and our loved ones safer during this time of distress. Instead of relying on your nearest store that’s running out of such essentials, why not make one at home!
Making a hand sanitizer is easy and it literally a child’s play as it does not have any complications while making it. It can come handy when you don’t have water and soap to wash your hands.
Making your hand sanitizer: What should I know?
Please note using hand sanitizer should not be interchanged with washing your hand with soap. As per the directions from CDC and WHO, one must wash their hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds, or sing Happy Birthday twice while washing your hands with soap. You must avoid touching your face if your hands are unwashed.
If you already have a hand sanitizer, please make sure it has a minimum of 60-65% alcohol content. Hand sanitizers without that minimum levels are not known to be very effective at killing the coronavirus (COVID-19) or some harmful bacteria in general.
Well if you recently ran out of hand sanitizer and the store near you does not have anymore, in that case, we are going to learn how to make one at home with just 3 simple ingredients
Making your hand sanitizer at home with 3 simple ingredients
Before we dig deeper let us understand the three main ingredients needed to make this hand sanitizer:
- Rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl Alcohol 99%): Alcoholic beverages like vodka and wine aren’t very effective ingredients since they have less than 40% alcoholic content.
- Aloe vera gel: This is another amazing ingredient to your hand sanitizer since it is a natural antibacterial and antioxidant and reduces any kind of skin inflammations.
- Essential Oils: This ingredient is just to give your hand sanitizer a nice smell after you use it on your hands. You can use eucalyptus or lavender oil. If not, lemon juice is an amazing alternative ingredient.
Also Read: A Guide: How to stay protected from Coronavirus (COVID-19) at home and outside
Hand sanitizer: getting started
Making a hand sanitizer is simple and does not take time once you have all the right ingredients in place. Please make sure the surroundings are clean. You can store it in a dispenser or a bottle of your choice. So, let’s get started:
- Take a bowl and add ¾ cup of rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl 99%).
- To this add ¼ cup of Aloe vera gel. This reduces any kind of inflammation that the alcohol might do and acts as a soothing agent.
- This step is optional, but if you want your handwash to be fragrant, add 6-8 drops of essential oils (Eucalyptus, Lavender, tea tree oil, etc.) to this. If you don’t have one you can also add lemon juice.
- Mix these ingredients thoroughly until they become like a gel substance.
- Your homemade handwash is ready to use, you can store it in a clean bottle or dispenser.
Things to Note:
- Alcoholic beverages like Vodka and beer are not recommended alternatives to isopropyl alcohol. As they contain 40% or lesser alcohol content they will not be as effective against the coronavirus.
- Please make sure your surroundings are clean, well lit and at room temperature.
- Ensure that your hands are clean and washed properly before making this solution at home.
- Refrain from touching the mixture, this could contaminate your hand sanitizer. Start using it when its ready to use.
Conclusion:
To reiterate, do not replace hand sanitizer with hand wash with soap. Only use it when you are not around it soap. As per CDC guidelines, Soap hand wash is still considered an ideal way of killing the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on your hands.
Hand sanitizer is an easy way to stop the spread of germs when soap and water aren’t available. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can help keep you safe and reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
